JP4717105B2 - Autonomous mobile robot apparatus and jump collision avoidance method in such apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an autonomous mobile robot device that smoothly moves while people and various types of robots come and go, and a jump collision avoidance method for the autonomous mobile robot device.

  In recent years, unlike conventional industrial robots, many robots used in human life such as office robots and pet robots have been developed. These robots are not fixed installations, but work while moving autonomously in homes and offices, such as guidance work, transport work, and security work. When moving autonomously, it must move so as not to collide with people or objects for safety.

  Conventionally, there are means to detect people and objects in the direction of travel, such as ultrasonic sensors and laser radars, and when an obstacle such as a person or object is detected at a short distance, the route is changed to bypass the obstacle. It was. However, moving obstacles may also detour in the same direction in an attempt to avoid the robot, in which case they cannot be avoided from each other. In order to avoid further, when the detour direction is switched to the reverse direction and the moving obstacle and the robot are at the same time, it is impossible to avoid again, and during that time, the moving obstacle and the robot are too close to decelerate to avoid collision. Stop is necessary.

  For example, in Patent Document 1 below, an infrared sensor that detects infrared rays emitted from an obstacle is provided to determine whether the obstacle is a person. In the case of a person, the person stops and waits for a certain period of time. There is disclosed a technique that provides means for waiting for a person to leave and resuming movement when the person leaves.

  Also, in Patent Document 2 below, unlike the present invention, a technique for predicting a collision with a moving object popping out from a driver's blind spot and executing driving support control is disclosed, which relates to a car. .

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-185212 JP 2006-260217 A

  However, with the technique described in Patent Document 1, there is a high possibility that a person is present in the direction of travel when the robot moves in a busy workplace or town, and if the robot is stopped each time, it cannot move quickly. However, there is a problem that the work efficiency of the robot is lowered and the utility value of the robot is lowered. Furthermore, the above prior art does not mention measures against obstacles other than humans.

  Further, the technique described in Patent Document 2 is a mixed environment in which the autonomous mobile robot apparatus according to the present invention operates. For example, in an office or factory, the intersection passage width that is essential in the technique is the same. It is not clear and the direction of the obstacle cannot be specified, and therefore cannot be adopted as it is.

  In view of the above-mentioned problems, the present invention is used in an environment where people and robots come and go, and particularly relates to an autonomous mobile robot apparatus, and can move quickly while avoiding a collision due to jumping out, and work efficiency It is an object of the present invention to provide an autonomous mobile robot device that does not decrease the speed and a method for avoiding a jumping collision of the autonomous mobile robot device.

  In the present invention, in order to achieve the above-described object, first, obstacle detection means for detecting an obstacle and the obstacle detected by the obstacle detection means are avoided based on a predetermined avoidance method. Autonomous movement that operates in a mixed environment, comprising route generation means for setting a route to reach a destination together with its speed, and movement means that moves by mounting the obstacle detection means and the route generation means The obstacle detection means further measures the distance between the end point of the object existing in the traveling direction of the autonomous mobile robot device and the end point, and the path generation means When the end point of the object is detected by the object detection means, the collision of the autonomous mobile robot device with the obstacle that protrudes from the end point in the traveling direction around the end point is avoided. So that, the autonomous mobile robot device is provided for controlling at least one of the path and speed.

  Further, according to the present invention, in order to achieve the above-described object, at least the obstacle detection means for detecting the obstacle and the obstacle detected by the obstacle detection means are determined in a predetermined avoidance method. A route generation means for setting a route to the destination while avoiding based on the speed, and a moving means for moving the obstacle detection means and the route generation means, and having a mixed environment A jumping collision avoidance method in the autonomous mobile robot apparatus operating in the step, wherein the obstacle detection means measures the distance between the end point of the object existing in the traveling direction of the autonomous mobile robot apparatus and the end point, When the end point of the object is detected by the obstacle detection means, the end point in the traveling direction of the autonomous mobile robot device with the end point as a center. To avoid collision with the obstacle issuing beauty, collision avoidance method popping out in the autonomous mobile robot system for controlling at least one of the path and speed is provided.

  In the present invention, in the autonomous mobile robot device described above or the jump collision avoidance method in such a device, the path generation means is configured such that the stop distance of the robot device and the obstacle pop out centering on the end point. A collision avoidance area is set in consideration of at least one of the distances that the obstacle travels before the robot device stops, and an obstacle that jumps out from the end point based on the set collision avoidance area It is preferable to determine the possibility of a collision, and further, the route generation means may determine at least one of the route and the speed depending on the possibility of a collision with an obstacle jumping out from the end point determined based on the collision avoidance area. It is preferable to control one.

  In addition, according to the present invention, in the autonomous mobile robot apparatus described above, or in the jump collision avoidance method in the apparatus, the path generation means includes the collision avoidance area. If there is a possibility of collision with an obstacle that jumps out from the end point determined based on the above, and the speed of the robot apparatus can be reduced, the speed is reduced and the speed of the robot apparatus is reduced. However, when it is impossible to decelerate, it is preferable to bypass the path of the robot device, and further, the route generation means may prevent the obstacle before the robot device stops when the obstacle pops out. The traveling distance is preferably obtained by multiplying the maximum speed assumed by the obstacle by the stop time of the robot apparatus.

  According to the above-described present invention, it is used in an environment where people and robots come and go, especially related to an autonomous mobile robot device, and it can move quickly while avoiding a collision caused by jumping out, thus reducing work efficiency. An excellent effect is achieved that an autonomous mobile robot device that does not occur and a method of avoiding the collision of the autonomous mobile robot device are achieved.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. First, attached FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 are views showing an example of an external structure and an internal configuration of an autonomous mobile robot apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

  In these drawings, reference numeral 1 denotes the entire autonomous mobile robot apparatus, and reference numeral 2 denotes a moving means of the apparatus, which includes, for example, wheels, a motor, a motor driver, and the like. Move the top freely.

  Reference numeral 3 in the figure is a so-called obstacle detection unit, which is composed of, for example, a laser radar and an arithmetic unit. The distance to surrounding objects is measured, and a region where similar distances are continuous is identified. As an obstacle, the relative position with respect to the autonomous mobile robot device 1 is obtained from the average distance, and particularly, for an obstacle that forms a blind spot such as a continuous wall, the end point is obtained. Furthermore, for example, the image processing apparatus also includes a detection unit including a camera and an image processing device, and an image captured by the camera is processed by the image processing device, whereby an obstacle is separated from the background image. The position of the obstacle with respect to is measured, and the relative position of the background and the obstacle with respect to the autonomous mobile robot apparatus 1 is obtained. Note that the above-described measurement is periodically performed, and the speed of each obstacle is obtained from the change in relative position, assuming that the same obstacle as the previous measurement data is the same obstacle. For the similarity determination, position, shape, color, and the like can be used. If the obstacle detection means 3 has a low processing capability, it may be possible to omit the obstacle speed calculation.

  Reference numeral 4 in the figure denotes a self-position / speed detection unit, and the self-position / speed detection unit 4 acquires, for example, the space (where the autonomous mobile robot device exists) by acquiring the cumulative number of rotations of the wheels. By calculating the travel distance from the origin position in the plane), the self-position and speed of the autonomous mobile robot device are calculated.

  Reference numeral 5 in the figure denotes an avoidance method storage unit, which specifically stores an algorithm for generating a route for avoiding an obstacle. For example, the algorithm is stored in a built-in hard disk (HDD). This can be realized by writing. Reference numeral 6 in the figure denotes an avoidance method selection unit, which is an arithmetic device for selecting an appropriate avoidance method from the avoidance methods stored as avoidance information in the avoidance method storage unit 5 described above. . The specific selection method will be described later.

  Reference numeral 7 in the figure denotes a route generation unit, specifically, autonomous movement according to an algorithm selected by the avoidance method selection unit 6 based on information on the obstacle detected by the obstacle detection means 3. 2 is an arithmetic device for generating a movement path of the robot apparatus 1.

  Further, reference numeral 8 in the figure denotes an avoidance method notification unit that notifies other robots (hereinafter also referred to as “others”) of information related to the avoidance method described above, for example, by communication such as wireless LAN or short-range communication. To do. Reference numeral 9 denotes an other person avoiding method acquisition unit that acquires information about the avoiding method notified by the other person through communication. Reference numeral 10 denotes a control means, which is a control unit composed of an arithmetic unit that controls the above-described or following means constituting the autonomous mobile robot apparatus.

  That is, reference numeral 11 in the figure denotes individual identification information notifying means, and information that can be notified by means other than communication, such as individual identification information, among information relating to avoidance methods, for example, by visual display such as paint or a liquid crystal display. Notify other robots and people. Reference numeral 12 denotes individual identification information detection means, which acquires information notified by others using the individual identification information notification means 11, for example, with a camera and an image processing apparatus. Individual identification information is detected by processing an image acquired by the camera with an image processing apparatus, and further, a spatial position where the individual identification information is detected is also obtained.

  The autonomous mobile robot device described above is a so-called high-performance robot, and each individual is hereinafter referred to as a “robot”. Further, in FIG. 1, the external configuration of the low-performance robot 22 is shown for reference. Note that reference numeral 11-c in the figure is avoidance direction information by a ramp, and more specifically, when the robot is turned left or right by lighting any one of the lamps arranged on the left and right of the robot. Indicates that a change is in progress. Furthermore, in addition to the above-described configuration, the autonomous mobile robot device has the configuration requirements described in FIG.

  That is, in FIG. 1, reference numeral 11-a is individual identification information painted on the surface of the robot casing. For example, the robot 19 is painted with a number “71”. This is a different number for each robot. Reference numeral 11-b represents avoidance performance information and avoidance direction information displayed on the liquid crystal display of the robot 19. For example, the robot 19 currently displays “A” and “=>”, where “A” indicates that the avoidance performance is high performance, and “=>” indicates the current traveling direction. Indicates that the robot is changing to the left as viewed from the robot.

  Next, FIG. 3 attached here is a diagram showing an example of a movement route generated by the route generation unit 7 in the autonomous mobile robot device. Here, reference numeral 41 indicates a self robot (hereinafter also referred to as “self”), and reference numerals 42, 43, and 44 indicate obstacles, respectively. Reference numeral 41-b is a vector indicating the current speed of the self robot 41. The other vectors 42-b, 43-b, 44-b in the figure also indicate the current speed of the obstacle. As described above, the route generation unit 7 described above calculates the route so that the self robot 41 and each obstacle do not collide with each other. Hereinafter, this route generation method is referred to as a route generation method a.

  FIG. 4 shows an example of another generated movement route generated by the autonomous mobile robot device. This example is a movement route generated by the route generation unit 7 when the speed of the obstacle cannot be calculated because the processing capability of the obstacle detection unit 3 described above is low. In this case, corresponding to the current position of the obstacles 42, 43, and 44, a path is calculated so that the robot 41 does not collide with each other. Hereinafter, this route generation method is referred to as a route generation method b.

  Subsequently, FIG. 5 attached here shows an example of information on the avoidance method. The information on the avoidance method is notified to other robots (hereinafter also referred to as “others”) by the avoidance method notification unit described above via a communication unit such as a wireless LAN or short-range communication.

  Information included in the information on the avoidance method varies depending on the performance of the robot. In addition, the specific content about the information regarding this avoidance method is demonstrated below.

  (1) “Avoidance performance” is information indicating the obstacle detection capability and route generation capability of the robot, and varies depending on the configuration of the robot. For example, a high-performance robot can detect the position and speed of an obstacle with high accuracy, and therefore can generate a route by the route generation method a. On the other hand, since the low-performance robot cannot detect the speed of the obstacle and can detect only the position with low accuracy, the low-performance robot performs path generation by the path generation method b.

  (2) “Avoidance direction” is information on whether to avoid to the right side or to the left side when avoiding. There are two ways to express the right side and left side. The first expression method is to change the own traveling direction to the left or the right with respect to the current traveling direction. The second expression method is to pass through the right side or the left side of the obstacle when viewed from the self robot when passing each obstacle. The avoidance direction information includes information indicating which representation method is used. The second expression method can generate a smoother avoidance path when the robots recognize each other's avoidance direction than the first expression method. However, since the second expression method needs to detect the speed of an obstacle and predict the positional relationship when passing each other, it cannot be expressed by the second expression method with a low-performance robot.

  (3) “Position information” is current position information of the notification source robot. The robot that has acquired information on the avoidance method uses it for matching the acquired avoidance method with the obstacle detected by the obstacle detection unit 3.

  (4) “Individual identification information” is information indicating a number unique to each robot for identifying one robot. The robot that has acquired the information on the avoidance method has acquired the avoidance method, the position where the individual identification information and the individual identification information acquired by the individual identification information detection means 12 described later exist, and the obstacle detected by the obstacle detection means 3 Is used to match the acquired avoidance method and the obstacle detected by the obstacle detection means 3.

  If either one of the above (3) or (4) is available depending on the configuration of the robot, the acquired avoidance method and the obstacle detected by the obstacle detection means 3 can be matched, so the above (3 ) Or (4) is sufficient. It can also be used to determine which avoidance direction has priority in the comparison of avoidance directions between the self and others described later. For example, the individual identification information is a numerical value, and the priority direction is determined depending on the magnitude of the numerical value.

  (5) “Notification time” is the time at which information on the avoidance method is notified, and is used when determining which avoidance direction is prioritized in the avoidance direction comparison between self and others described later. For example, priority is given to the earlier notification time. The avoidance direction priority determination method may be either (4) or (5), and the unnecessary information may not be included in the notification information.

  (6) “Presence / absence / position of companion” is a flag indicating that there is a companion and information indicating the current position of the companion. The purpose is to prevent the self robot from passing between others.

  In addition, attached FIG. 6 shows an example of another generated movement route generated by the autonomous mobile robot device. Reference numeral 91 in the figure is the self robot, and reference numerals 92 and 93 are others that are obstacles to the self robot 91. If the information about the other person's avoidance method received from the other person 92 includes the presence / absence of the accompanying person and the accompanying position information, the self robot 91 receives the self position information and the accompanying information in the information about the other person's avoiding method. By comparing the position with the position of the detected obstacle, the robots with the corresponding companions are specified as the obstacle. Then, the route generation means 7 generates a route other than the route passing between the companions.

  (7) “Passing prohibited direction” is information indicating a direction in which another person should not pass when passing nearby.

  Attached FIG. 7 shows an example of another generated movement route generated by the autonomous mobile robot device. In the figure, reference numeral 101 denotes a self robot, reference numeral 102 denotes another person who becomes an obstacle to the self robot 101, and reference numeral 103 denotes other obstacles. For example, when the other person 102 detects the obstacle 103 and determines that it is dangerous if the other person 102 passes the “north” direction of the self robot 101, information “north” is entered in the prohibited direction. When the information on the other person avoidance method from the other person 102 received by the robot 101 includes information on the passage prohibition direction, the route generation unit 7 selects a route other than the route passing through the designated direction. Generate.

  (8) The “obstacle detection information” is obstacle position / speed information of the obstacle detected by the robot. It is intended for use by others when generating routes.

  Attached FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of another generated movement route generated by the autonomous mobile robot device. Reference numeral 111 is a self robot, reference numeral 112 is another person who becomes an obstacle to the self robot 111, reference numerals 113 and 114 are other obstacles. For example, when the robot 112 detects the obstacles 113 and 114, the robot 112 puts the position speed information of the obstacles 113 and 114 in the obstacle detection information. When the obstacle detection information is included in the other person avoidance method information received from the robot 112 received by the own robot 111, the path generation unit 7 adds the obstacle detected by the own robot 111 from the robot 112. A path for avoiding all obstacles is generated including the obstacle detection information in the other person avoidance method information.

  FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example in which the autonomous mobile robot device selects an avoidance method. The avoidance method selection unit 6 of the autonomous mobile robot apparatus 1 determines whether or not the other person avoidance method acquisition unit 9 has acquired information on the avoidance method of the other robot. The avoidance method to be selected is changed according to the content of the information.

  On the other hand, when the information regarding the avoidance method notified by another robot is not acquired, the avoidance method when the information regarding the avoidance method is not acquired is selected, and when it is acquired, the avoidance method when acquired is selected. Hereinafter, the former is referred to as avoidance method A, and the latter is referred to as avoidance method B.

  In the case of the avoidance method A, a route that reaches the destination without colliding with an obstacle is generated. If multiple routes are possible, select one of them. Selection criteria include the shortest path and a path that passes through the opposite side of the obstacle in the direction of travel.

  In the case of the avoidance method B, the avoidance directions of the self and the other robot are compared based on the information on the avoidance method notified by the other robot. If the two may collide, one of them changes the avoidance direction. As an example of a method for determining which one is to be changed, for example, the avoidance performance of the self and another robot is compared, and the change is made when the avoidance performance is higher. If the performance is the same, for example, the unique number that is the individual identification information is compared, and the younger one is given priority. In another example, the notification times are compared, and the earlier one is prioritized. Then, a route to the destination that satisfies the avoidance direction obtained thereby is generated.

  Further, “jumping out collision prevention” which is a feature of the present invention will be described. This “jumping collision prevention” means that, for example, a dead angle of an autonomous mobile robot apparatus is created by a wall or the like, and an obstacle (such as a person or another robot) that may jump out of the dead angle is detected. This is a function to avoid it.

  The principle of “jumping collision prevention” according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. That is, the figure shows a case where the autonomous mobile robot apparatus is moving at a speed “v”, for example, and there is an object making a blind spot in the traveling direction. In this case, as indicated by a broken-line circle in the figure, it is assumed that an obstacle (a person or other robot) that may exist is popping out from the blind spot behind the object making the blind spot. . Here, “L” in the figure is the distance of the object making the blind spot, in particular, the distance from the end point to the robot, and “a” is the stop distance of the robot (that is, actually from the start of the stop operation). The distance that the robot moves until it stops), and depends on the speed of the robot. “B” is an assumed obstacle moving distance, the speed of the obstacle (for example, the assumed maximum speed) × the stop time of the robot (that is, the time from the start of the stop operation to the actual stop of the robot) More specifically, it shows the distance traveled by the obstacle before the robot makes an emergency stop when the obstacle jumps out.

Note that, according to the present invention, basically, the speed or path of the autonomous mobile robot apparatus is set so as to satisfy the following conditions in consideration of the relationship with the distances “a” and “b”. By controlling this, it is intended to prevent "jumping out collision" in offices and factories where humans are mixed.
L> a + b

  Next, an obstacle avoidance method of the autonomous mobile robot device in “jumping collision prevention” of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. That is, FIG. 11 (a) shows how the robot bypasses the path to the outside in the vicinity of the end point of the object making the blind spot, thereby avoiding the collision due to the jumping out of the obstacle. (B) shows how the robot avoids a collision due to jumping out of an obstacle by reducing (decelerating) the speed in the vicinity of the end point of the object making a blind spot. Note that E in the figure indicates an end point of the object. In the present invention, by appropriately adopting these avoidance methods according to the situation, the obstacle avoidance of the autonomous mobile robot apparatus is more reliably performed and used in an environment where people and robots come and go. An autonomous mobile robot apparatus that can move quickly while avoiding a collision due to jumping out of an object and that does not reduce work efficiency is achieved.

  Further, FIG. 12 and FIG. 13 attached therewith show flowcharts for achieving the “jumping collision prevention” operation of the present invention. This flowchart is stored as software in the storage unit of the arithmetic device that constitutes the control unit 10 (see FIG. 2), and is executed by the arithmetic device.

  First, in FIG. 12, when the process is started, first, an end point of an object (that is, a wall or the like) (see reference numeral “E” in FIG. 11) is detected (step S121), and the autonomous mobile robot device itself is detected. The current speed “v” is detected (step S122). Subsequently, based on the detection result, a collision avoidance region having a radius (distance) Cd is set around the end point of the object (step S123). Note that the radius (distance) Cd of the collision avoidance region depends on the detected current speed “v” as well as the distance “b” that the obstacle travels before the robot makes an emergency stop when the obstacle jumps out. And can be expressed as Cd = f (v) or Cd = f (b, v).

  Then, based on the set collision avoidance area, when the autonomous mobile robot device travels on the current path and at the current speed, the obstacle (person or other robot) is blind spot (that is, the end point of the object). ), The possibility of the autonomous mobile robot device colliding with the obstacle is determined (step S124). As a result, if it is determined that there is no possibility of collision between the autonomous mobile robot device and the obstacle (“no collision possibility”), the autonomous mobile robot device proceeds on the current route at the same speed. (Step S125). On the other hand, if it is determined as a result of the determination that there is a possibility that the autonomous mobile robot device and the obstacle will collide (“possibility of collision”), the following collision avoidance process will be executed. .

  Attached FIG. 13 shows a collision avoidance process that is executed when it is determined that there is a possibility of collision in the above determination. That is, when it is determined that “there is a possibility of collision”, it is first determined whether or not the autonomous mobile robot device can further decelerate (decrease) the current speed “v” (step S131). As a result, when it is determined that the current speed “v” can be decelerated (decreased) (“Yes” in the figure), the autonomous mobile robot apparatus decreases the current speed “v” (so-called slow running). Therefore, avoid collisions with obstacles that may jump out of the blind spot. On the other hand, when deceleration (decrease) of the current speed “v” is impossible (“No” in the figure), a collision avoidance path for avoiding a collision with an obstacle is selected and set, Avoid collisions with obstacles that may pop out. That is, by repeatedly executing the above processing, the obstacles of the autonomous mobile robot apparatus can be avoided more reliably and used in an environment where people and robots come and go while avoiding collisions caused by jumping out of obstacles. However, the robot can move quickly and does not reduce the work efficiency of the robot.

  Furthermore, a more specific example of the above-described autonomous collision avoidance method for the autonomous mobile robot apparatus will be described with reference to FIGS. 14 (a) and 14 (b). In these figures, the autonomous mobile robot apparatus according to the present invention shows an operation when passing through a so-called “T” junction. In these drawings, reference numeral 200 indicates a wall surface that partitions the robot's existence space, and in particular, the outline of the wall surface 200 detected by the robot is indicated by a bold line. A hatched portion 201 in the figure indicates an area through which the robot can pass, and “E” indicates an end point of the wall surface. Then, the autonomous mobile robot device 1 according to the present invention, when the obstacle jumps out, especially in the inside of the passable area (shaded portion), especially around the end point “E” of the wall surface that is the blind spot in progress. The path (indicated by two curves 202) and / or speed is determined in consideration of the stop distance “a” of the robot as well as the distance “b” that the obstacle travels before the robot makes an emergency stop. .

  FIG. 14 (a) shows an example in particular when the robot passes through a wide “T” path, and as is clear from the figure, the end point “E” is shown because the passage is wide. By bypassing the route in the vicinity, collisions due to jumping out of possible obstacles are avoided. On the other hand, FIG. 14B shows an example in which the robot passes through a narrow “T” -shaped path, and in this case, as is apparent from FIG. Since it is impossible to detour the route, the collision of a possible obstacle jumping out is avoided by reducing the speed of the robot (so-called slow traveling).

  Further, FIGS. 15A to 15E show that the autonomous mobile robot apparatus 1 according to the present invention avoids a collision with a human 300 that has jumped out of an object that forms a blind spot (partition 203 in this example). It is shown. That is, in FIG. 15A, the autonomous mobile robot device 1 is moving along a path set at a predetermined speed, but in FIG. 15B, the end point “E” of the partition 203, which is the object, is shown. ”Is detected to reduce (decelerate) the speed. As a result, in FIG. 15C, in order to avoid a collision with the human 203 jumping out from the partition 203, stop or slow down at the minimum speed, and then in FIG. 15D, the jumping human passes, FIG. 15 (e) shows a state where the vehicle travels again at a predetermined speed along the set path.

  A specific example of the obstacle avoidance method in the case where the end points of the obstacle and the object are detected in the above-described autonomous mobile robot device will be described with reference to FIGS. 16 (a) and 16 (b). Attached FIG. 16 shows possible avoidance routes when an obstacle is detected. (A) is an example when the end point of the object is not detected, and (b) is an example when the end point E of the object is detected. When an obstacle is detected, an avoidance path that passes through the right side of the obstacle and an avoidance path that passes through the left side can be considered. In (a), since the end point of the object is not detected, there is no possibility of an obstacle jumping out from the blind spot. For example, the avoidance route is selected based on the selection criterion that the path is shorter. In the example shown in the figure, the left avoidance route indicated by the solid line is shorter than the right avoidance route indicated by the broken line, so the left avoidance route is selected. In (b), since the end point of the object is detected, there is a possibility that an obstacle will pop out from the blind spot, so it is necessary to decelerate to prevent the jump out collision. In the example in the figure, the right avoidance route indicated by the solid line has a smaller amount of deceleration than the left avoidance route indicated by the broken line, so the right avoidance route is selected. Thereby, it is possible to move as quickly as possible while avoiding obstacles and preventing popping collisions. If one avoidance route is far enough from the end point of the object, it is possible to drive more smoothly by selecting the avoidance route without having to make an emergency stop even if an obstacle jumps out of the blind spot. is there.

  In the detailed description of the above-described embodiment, the distance “b” traveled by the obstacle until the robot is brought to an emergency stop when the obstacle jumps around the end point “E” of the wall surface, which is a blind spot in progress. In addition, the path and / or speed of the robot is determined in consideration of the stop distance “a” of the robot. However, the present invention is not limited to this, for example, FIG. For a narrow “T” path as shown in b), it may be possible to determine the path and / or speed without taking the “a” into account. Further, in the above description, the distance “b” is described as being determined in consideration of, for example, the assumed maximum speed of the obstacle. However, avoiding unnecessary deceleration or slowing down, the work efficiency of the robot For example, it may be preferable to appropriately set the value based on experience in the environment where the robot is used. That is, it is only necessary to avoid a collision with the robot when an obstacle jumps out. In the above description, as an example, only an example in which an obstacle jumps out from the end “E” of the wall surface that forms the blind spot has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this example. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the same applies to large objects that are in the middle of a journey.

It is a perspective view which shows an example of the whole external appearance structure of the autonomous mobile robot apparatus which becomes one Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows an example of an internal structure of the said autonomous mobile robot apparatus. It is a figure which shows the example of the movement path | route produced | generated by the said autonomous mobile robot apparatus. It is a figure which shows an example of the other production | generation movement path | route produced | generated by the said autonomous mobile robot apparatus. It is a figure which shows an example of the information regarding the avoidance method in the said autonomous mobile robot apparatus. It is a figure which shows an example of the other production | generation movement path | route produced | generated by the said autonomous mobile robot apparatus. It is a figure which shows an example of the other production | generation movement path | route produced | generated by the said autonomous mobile robot apparatus. It is a figure which shows an example of the other production | generation movement path | route produced | generated by the said autonomous mobile robot apparatus. It is a figure which shows the example which the said autonomous mobile robot apparatus selects the avoidance method. It is a figure explaining the principle of the jumping out collision prevention in the said autonomous mobile robot apparatus. It is a figure explaining the method of the obstacle avoidance of the said autonomous mobile robot apparatus. It is a flowchart figure which shows an example of the method of the obstacle avoidance in the said autonomous mobile robot apparatus concretely. FIG. 13 is a flowchart specifically illustrating an example of an obstacle avoidance method in the autonomous mobile robot device as in FIG. 12. It is a figure explaining an example of operation in case the above-mentioned autonomous mobile robot device passes a "T" character path. It is a figure which shows a mode that the said autonomous mobile robot apparatus avoids the collision with the human who jumped out of the object which forms a blind spot. It is a figure explaining the obstacle avoidance method when the said autonomous mobile robot apparatus detects the end point of an obstacle and an object.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Autonomous mobile robot apparatus, 2 ... Moving means, 3 ... Obstacle detection means, 4 ... Self-position / speed detection means, 5 ... Avoidance method storage means, 6 ... Avoidance method selection means, 7 ... Path generation means, 8 ... Avoidance method notification means, 9 ... Other person avoidance method acquisition means, 10 ... Control means.

Claims (2)

Obstacle detection means for detecting obstacles;
A route generating means for setting, along with the speed, a route to reach the destination while avoiding the obstacle detected by the obstacle detecting means based on a predetermined avoidance method;
An autonomous mobile robot apparatus that operates in a mixed environment, comprising a moving means that moves by mounting the obstacle detecting means and the route generating means,
The obstacle detection means further measures an end point of an object existing in the traveling direction of the autonomous mobile robot device, and a distance between the end point and the autonomous mobile robot device,
The path generation means is required to obtain a plurality of detour paths that avoid the obstacle detected by the obstacle detection means , and further, when the end point of the object is detected by the obstacle detection means, jumps out from the end point of the object The autonomous mobile robot is set to the expected maximum speed of the pop-up obstacle by setting the jump distance that the pop-up obstacle travels before the autonomous mobile robot device stops when the obstacle pops out. The collision avoidance area centered on the end point of the object , taking into account at least one of the jump distance and the stop distance that the autonomous mobile robot apparatus moves until it stops. set, based on the collision avoidance region is the set determined the possibility of collision with an obstacle jumping out from the end point of the object, the possibility of a collision In some cases, among the plurality of detour paths, autonomous mobile robotic device and selects the path velocity change amount is small to control in order to avoid collision with the obstacle jumping out from the end point of the object. At least an obstacle detection means for detecting an obstacle, and a route that reaches the destination while avoiding the obstacle detected by the obstacle detection means based on a predetermined avoidance method is set together with the speed thereof. A path generation means, a movement means that moves by mounting the obstacle detection means and the path generation means, and a jump collision avoidance method in an autonomous mobile robot apparatus operating in a mixed environment,
The obstacle detection means measures the end point of the object existing in the traveling direction of the autonomous mobile robot device, and the distance between the end point and the autonomous mobile robot device,
A plurality of detour paths for avoiding the obstacle are obtained by the obstacle detecting means, and when the end point of the object is detected, the obstacle jumps out of the obstacle that may jump out from the end point of the object. When the autonomous mobile robot device stops, the jumping distance traveled by the obstacle before the autonomous mobile robot device stops is obtained by multiplying the assumed maximum speed of the popping obstacle by the stop time of the autonomous mobile robot device, In consideration of at least one of the stopping distances that the autonomous mobile robot device moves until it stops, a collision avoidance area centered on the end point is set, and when there is a possibility of collision, the plurality of Among the detour routes, a route with a small speed change amount to be controlled to avoid a collision with an obstacle jumping out from the end point of the object is selected. Collision avoidance method popping out in the mobile robot system.

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